When was the last time you complained about your HDTV?

When was the last time you complained about your HDTV? Not sharp enough, or lacking that vivid look? No, probably not, but that’s not stopping some TV makers from cooking up new technologies that might entice you to upgrade.

Two big buzzwords have been dominating lately: 4K (sometimes called Ultra HD) and OLED. This summer, the first generation of TVs to offer these technologies finally hits U.S. retailers. Samsung,LG, Sony and others debuted TVs that cost up to $14,999, all in the hopes of someday soon convincing you to upgrade to “the next big thing.” But which one will it be, and how soon will it be in your living room?

Even though HD content doesn’t have many regular complaints, some TV makers are cooking up new technologies that might entice you to upgrade.

The path of progress is rarely straightforward. Remember all the hype around 3-D TV? Just a few short, painful years later, the industry seems ready to admit that it was not the great savior they’d hoped for.

Last September, the Associated Press reported that “3-D viewership is so tiny that The Nielsen Co.’s methods are unable to capture any meaningful data about viewers’ programming preferences.” In June, ESPN announced that they plan to shut down ESPN 3D by the end of 2013, citing low adoption.